Doctor&#39;s screen



Aug- 31, 1965 E.w.wU1 K 3,203,467

DOCTOR'S SCREEN Filed Sept. 25 1963 United States Patent O 3,203,467 DOCTRS SCREEN Edward W. Wulk, 5011 S. 106th St., Milwaukee, Wis. Filed Sept. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 310,652 2 Claims. (Cl. 1611-24) The present invention relates to hospital screens, and more particularly it relates to a screen for the purpose of allowing doctors and patients privacy in the routine of examination and treatment in hospitals and in doctors offices. Bymeans of my screen the attending doctor does away with the need for sheets and covers. conventionally used to enable the doctor to do his work in privacy, while still being able to communicate with the patient who will feel more at ease behind the screen. In addition, the use of my versatile screen will save the cost of providing sheets and covers which in the process of treatment may become soiled and need replacement. Furthermore, my screen may be readily used for many other purposes where one needs a screen for privacy.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a versatile screen which may be readily utilized lfor general treatment in hospitals, in nurseries and at doctors offices.

Another object of this invention is to provide -a screen of the class described which may be inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use, and safe to operate.

A further object of this invention is to provide a screen mounted upon a folding tripod and being provided with a number of collapsible leg supports.

An additional object of this invention is to mount a screen to a swiveling fulcrum arm to permit adjustment of the screen in a horizontal plane.

A further object of this invention is to mount a screen upon a pedestal and to provide means to adjust the screen in a vertical plane.

Another object of this invention is to mount a screen to a hinging fulcrum to allow the screen to be hinged and folded in a vertical plane for storage purposes.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction, and the combination and -arrangement of parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, references will be made to the accompanying drawing, where like character numerals denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detailed View of the screen;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view Vof FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a View taken on the line 4 4 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 shows the manner in which the screen may be folded for storage purposes.

It is to be understood that the present form of disclosure is merely for the purpose of illustration, and that there might be various modifications thereof, without departing from the spirit of the invention as herein set forth.

Referring now more particularly to the screen 10, made in accordance with the present invention, best seen in FIG. 1, it comprises, in combination, the upright support or the pedestal 11; the folding supporting legs 12 (three in number); the screen housing 13, the screen 14; the fulcrum base 15 and its hinging member 15a; the fulcrum arms 16 and 17, inclusive; the screen support 1S; the hinge 19; an-d the fulcrum screw 20.

Reference now being made to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the fulcrum base 15 may be securely held to the pedestal 11 at 15b, while the hinge 19 may be held by means of one of its hinge plates 19a to the fulcrum base 15 and with the other plate 19b being held to the hinge member 15a, substantially as shown in FIG. 5. The fulcrum screw 20 above referred to may be provided with a knurled knob 21 which may carry -an extension bolt 22 which at its other end has a threaded member 23. From FIG. 5 it can be discerned that the hinging member 15a may be provided with a thread 24. When the hinging member 15a is hinged upwardly in the position indicated in FIG. 2, the knob 21 is turned by the attendant to thread the threaded end 23 into the thread 24 machined in the member 15a to secure the latter to the fulcrum -base 15, substantially as shown in FIG. 2. In this raised position the screen housing 13 finds itself in a horizontal plane parallel with the ground or the operating table T, shown in FIG. 3. In this relative position the screen 14 may be pulled Iout of its housing by means of the screen handle 14a. The screen 14, in the housing 13, is wound upon an elongated roller (not shown) and is operated in -a similar manner as a conventional window shade or screen, by means of a ratchet and a ratchet wheel (not shown).

It is understood that the screen housing 13, by means `of the fulcrum arms 16 and 17 and the thumb screws 25 and 26 may be swiveled in a vertical plane over the hospital bed or table T, as desired. The fulcrum arms 16 and 17 allow the adjustment of the screen over that table T, in a manner as indicated in FIG. 4, without the need for moving the pedestal 11.

A careful examination of the foregoing description in conjunction with the invention as illustrated in the drawing, will enable the reader to obtain a clear understanding and impression of the alleged features of merit and novelty, suiiicient to clarify the construction of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Minor changes in shape, size and materials, and rearrangement of parts, may be resorted to in actual practice, as long as no departure is made from the invention claimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim is the following:

1. A screen of the class described comprising, in combination, a vertical pedestal, a number of folding leg supports in the lowermost end of said pedestal, a ful-crurn base at the uppermost end of said pedestal, hinge means provided in said base, a screen support held to said fulcrurn base 'and a screen housing secured to said support, said housing having a screen roller therein, a screen on said roller and means for pulling said screen out of said housing, said screen support hingeably held to said base .and means for supporting said screen housing horizontally on said hinge means with respect to the ground, said last-named means comprising a fastening screw means, thread means in said fulcrum base, said screw means being threaded into said thread means to secure said screen support to said fulcrum base.

2. A screen of the class described comprising in combination a vertical pedestal, a number of folding leg supports in the lowermost end of said pedestal, a fulcrum base at the uppermost end of said pedestal, a hinge means provided in .said base, means holding a screen support to said fulcrum base and a screen housing secured to said screen support, said housing having `a screen roller therein, a -screen on said roller, means for pulling said screen out of said housing, said means holding .said screen support to said fulcrum base comprising a pair of elongated arms, one end of each of said arms being secured to sai-d fulcrum base, and the other end of each of said arms being secured to said screen support, and screw means having opposite ends with wing nuts upon one of said ends for mounting said arms to said screen support and to said fulcrum base whereby loosening of said thumb screws `allows for adjustment of said screen in a substantially horizontal plane, -the opposite end of said screw means extending outwardly into abutment with said vertical pedestal when said 3 4 screen housing is in depending position forming a stop and 2,827,553 3/ 58 Riches i60-24 preventing sway of said housing. 2,974,920 3/ 61 Spaulding 248--291 R C d h E FOREIGN PATENTS eferens te by t e Kammer 5 734,699 2/54 Great Britain. UNITED STATES PATENTS 847 287 3/07 Kin" 160 351 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

1,199,773 10/ 16 Erickson et al 160-351 REINALDO P. MACHADO, Examiner. 

1. A SCREEN OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A VERTICAL PEDESTAL, A NUMBER OF FOLDING LEG SUPPORTS IN THE LOWERMOST END OF SAID PEDESTAL, A FULCRUM BASE AT THE UPPERMOST END OF SAID PEDESTAL, HINGE MEANS PROVIDED IN SAID BASE, A SCREEN SUPPORT HELD TO SAID FULCRUM BASE AND A SCREEN HOUSING SECURED TO SAID SUPPORT, SAID HOUSING HAVING A SCREEN ROLLER THEREIN, A SCREEN ON SAID ROLLER AND MEANS FOR PULLING SAID SCREEN OUT OF SAID HOUSING, SAID SCREEN SUPPORT HINGEABLY HELD TO SAID BASE AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID SCREEN HOUSING HORIZONTALLY ON SAID HINGE MEANS WITH RESPECT TO THE GROUND, SAID LAST-NAMED MEANS COMPRISING A FASTENING SCREW MEANS, THREAD MEANS IN SAID FULCRUM BASE, SAID SCREW MEANS BEING THREADED INTO SAID THREAD MEANS TO SECURE SAID SCREEN SUPPORT TO SAID FULCRUM BASE. 